Improvement in stoppers for preserving-vessels



1. BQWILSON.

Fruit Jar Patented July 9, 1861.

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I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.T. B. \VILSON, OF VVILLIAMSTOWVN, NEIV JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN STOPPERS FOR PRESERViNG-VESSELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3?,805, dated July 9,1861 antcdated June 0, 1861.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J. B. WILsoN, of Williamstown, Camden county, NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stoppersand Mouths for Preserving-Vessels; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

My invention consists of a metal disk with a ring of gum-elasticstretched round its edge, a bolt passing through the said diskand'having below the latter a cross-bar, and a nut above, a yieldingwasher intervening between the said cross-bar and the disk, and thewhole being constructed and combined with the tapering mouth of avessel, substantially as described hereinafter, so as to form aperfectly air-tight stopper, and one which cannot be forced from themouth of the vessel by any pressure from within the same.

In order to enable others to make and use my invention, I will nowproceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, Figure l is a vertical section of my improved mouth andstopper for preserving-vessels; Fig. 2, the same with the stopper andits adjuncts removed Fig. 3, a plan view; Fig. 4, a perspective view ofthe mouth of the vessel.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A represents the upper portion of the preservingvessel, which may bemade of glass, earthenware, or other suitable material. The annularflange a, which forms the mouth of the vessel, decreases in diameter onthe inside from its upper edge to the shoulder b, which forms the upperend of the vessels neck, the latter being of less diameter than themouth. Below this shoulder b, and within the neck of the vessel, isformed a horizontal recess, D, best observed on reference to theperspective view, Fig. 4. This recess is bounded on one end by theshoulder or stop a, on the opposite end by the stop (1, above by thelower edge, e, of the rib E, and below by the, shoulder f, there beingnear the stop d a vertical recess, G, communicating with the saidhorizontal recess D.

A precisely similar recess similarly bounded is formed on the oppositeside of the interior of the neck.

The stopper consists of a metal disk, H, in the periphery of which isformed a recess for the reception of a ring, I, of gum-elastic, andthrough the center of this disk a bolt, J, passes freely, the lower endof the bolt being furnished with a cross-bar, K, between which and thedisk intervenes a washer, L, of gum-elastic or other suitable material,the upperscrewed end of the bolt being furnished with a thumb-nut, M,and above the latter with asmaller perma nent nut or head, N. Thegum-elastic ring I is in the first instance much smaller in diameterthan the portion of the disk which it has to embrace, so that after itis stretched over the edge of the disk it will take its place in thegroove of the latter and beself-retainingtherein by its own contractileforce, the diameter of the ring when on the disk being such that it willfit freely into the upper portion of the vessels mouth, but owing to thetaper of the flange a cannot be depressed deep into the mouth withoutthe application of considerable force, as described hereinafter.

Before the stopper is applied to the vessels neck, its thumbnut M isunscrewed until it reaches the head N, the cross-bar being therebylowered so far from the disk that when the latter is dropped lightlyinto the mouth of the ves sel, one end of the cross-bar can pass downone vertical recess G and the other down the opposite and similarvertical recess until the ends rest on the shoulders f. The bolt J andits cross-bar are now turned partially round by applying the finger andthumb to thehead N,

when. one end of the cross-bar will take its place in one recess D, andthe other in the opposite and similar recess of the bottles neck, themovement of the bar being arrested at the proper point by its endsstriking the stops 0 of the recesses. The thumb-nut M is now screweddown onto the washer, on reaching which it will draw the bolt with itscross-bar upward, the ends of the latter being retained by the upperedges, 6, of the recesses D, so that on screwing the nut M farther down,the disk, with its gum-elastic ring, will be forced so tightly into themouth of the vessel as to render the latter perfectly air-tight. At thesame time the washer L will be compressed so tightly between thecross-bar K and the disk that the entrance of airthrough the centralopening of the disk is rendered impossible.

When the stopper has to be removed, the thumb nut M is unscrewed untilit again reaches the head N, when the bolt J, with its cross-bar, can bereadily turned back until one end of the bar strikes the stop d of onerecess, D, and the other end of the bar strikes the similar stop of theopposite recess. When the bar has arrived at this point, its ends willpass freely upward through the vertical recesses G, and the stopper canconsequently be elevated clear of the vessels mouth.

Gum elastic rings confined between two washers and caused to expandagainst the inside of a vessels month by the pressure of the washerstogether are in common use as stoppers for air-tight preserving vessels.The

great objection to their use, however, is that the pressure created bythe generation of gases from the contents of the vessel is apt to forcethe stoppers from the mouth.

bolt J, with its'cross-barK and nut M, and the yielding washer L, thewhole being construct ed substantially as described, and combined withthe tapering mouth of the vessel, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

, J. B. WILSON.

' Witnesses:

HENRY Howson, JOHN WHITE.

